Hiding My Heart The Kidnapping of Devon Thompson
by aerin29
Summary: Devon and Ritchie thought they were content to be best friends. Then Devon falls in love with someone else. Will Ritchie reach out for what's right in front of him? Or will they both keep hiding their hearts? **COMPLETE**
1. Chapter 1

**Hiding My Heart (The Kidnapping of Devon Thompson)**

**Chapter 1: Movie Nigh**t

**Prologue**

_I have to get to him. I just have to._ That's all Devon could think. Never mind that it was a mile to his house. Never mind that it was raining - raining in torrents in a way rarely seen in Southern California. Never mind that she was soaked and exhausted.

_I have to tell him._

**Nine months earlier**

"Hot Fuzz?! That's your pick for movie night? I thought we agreed on The Notebook." Devon wrinkled her nose at she looked at the back of the DVD cover and then sank back into the pillows of her couch.

"Oh ye of little faith. Just give it a shot. You're totally going to love it. Besides, The Notebook is a total chick flick and it's my turn to pick." Ritchie walked into the living room carrying a couple of bottles of water and a bowl of popcorn. He placed the popcorn bowl on the coffee table and handed one of the bottles of water to Devon.

"We'll see." Devon stated as she watched Ritchie pick up the remote and hit the play button. Devon narrowed her eyes at Ritchie and pursed her lips in a look meant to convey skepticism. In response, Ritchie grinned and popped some kernels into his mouth before turning back to face the TV.

Although she liked giving Ritchie a hard time about his movie picks, in reality, Devon adored movie night with Ritchie. It had become their little tradition ever since she moved to Los Angeles six years ago to start her undergrad degree at UCLA.

While she would never have admitted to anyone but her best friend Gabby that she was apprehensive about moving to LA -- the indominatable Devon Lissette Thompson admit fear - forget it! -- she had been so nervous. At the biggest part of her nervousness had stemmed from the man currently sitting on her living room couch.

Back when she was 16, she and Gabby had kidnapped members of the Ritchie's band, 5LeoRise. In the course of that adventure, Devon had fallen for Ritchie and fallen hard. And she thought Ritchie had felt a connection with her too. But after the concert at her school, Ritchie and the rest of the band had been occupied with cutting another album (this time with them all playing instruments) and subsequent touring. The band's tour schedule and long distance had effectively stunted any real romantic relationship from forming between Devon and Ritchie. Sure they had kept up contact through email and MySpace. And they saw each other whenever the band was in her hometown on tour. But it wasn't enough to sustain, let alone start, a romance.

So when Devon moved to LA with Gabby six years ago, a small part of her -- actually a big part of her -- hoped that she would finally be able to start a real relationship with Ritchie. But when she arrived in LA, she found that Ritchie had a girlfriend. While the girlfriend lasted only five months, the romance never got off the ground.

In the years since, Devon told herself that it didn't matter. She had a real friendship with Ritchie -- aside from Gabby, he was her best friend. And she was friends with everyone else in the band.

Even so, looking at him sitting next to her, watching his dark hair fall into his pale blue eyes, made her stomach clench and her heart race. But ever practical Devon pushed those feelings down and turned her attention back to the movie.

A couple of hours later, Devon turned to Ritchie "As much as this pains me to say - you were right. It was funny. You actually picked a decent movie. Will wonders never cease?"

"I told you to trust me. You never learn." Ritchie grinned again. "I just hope that next week when it's your turn, you can live up to the high standard that I've set."

"Buddy - the bar isn't that high. Hot Fuzz is funny. But it ain't no Citizen Kane. And by the way, why are we always doing this at my apartment? You're the famous rock star with the MTV-worthy crib of a mansion? And the High Def TV? I'm just a lowly employee of the great 5LeoRise empire."

"Fine - my place next time. I just always figured it's easier for you if we do it at your place. And you don't work for me - you work for Hollis. You barely even do anything for the band anymore. Lately, all I hear about from you are all these new bands." Ritchie frowned as he recalled how irritated he'd been lately about Devon's increasing involvement with The Lepers, a new band Hollis had just signed. A couple of weeks ago, Ritchie had been in the Viper Room and had seen Devon sitting next to Garrett Worthington, the lead singer of The Lepers. Ritchie saw Devon throw back her head and laugh at something Garrett had said.

Ritchie had also seen the way Garrett looked at Devon. A part of Ritchie couldn't blame Garrett for thinking what he was obviously thinking. With her long blonde hair and lithe body, kept trim and fit by all the running that she liked to do, Devon certainly attracted attention. And her laugh was the best -- like everything else, when Devon laughed she fully committed. When Devon laughed at something you said, you felt like you were on top of the world. Ritchie knew this. And it irritated the crap out of him that she was laughing at something Garrett had said.

_I just don't want her to get involved with the wrong guy. I just don't want to see my best friend hurt._ Ritchie had thought - even as his insides rolled and his fists involuntarily clenched.

"Don't pout - I do plenty of stuff for you guys. In fact, Hollis is letting me take lead on planning out your tour. He even said that I'll probably go out on the road as assistant tour manager. So you'll be seeing me plenty. You'll see me so much, you'll be sick at the sight of me." Devon smiled and wiggled her eyebrows as she nudged Ritchie's shoulder with her own.

Ritchie laughed, "Good to know you haven't forgotten us. We'll always be your first band, you know."

"I know." Devon held Ritchie's gaze.

_What is this weird lurching in my heart_. Ritchie tugged at his T-shirt collar. "Listen, it's late. I should get going." He stood up and started walking towards the door. "Lock the door behind me, though."

"What are you, my father? I'll be fine." Devon reached out to hug Ritchie. Neither noticed that they held on a little longer than most platonic friends.

_I'm just his friend. _ Devon thought.

_She's my best friend. _ Ritchie reminded himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Here Comes Trouble**

[Ritchie singing and the band playing]

_I've been hiding my heart_

_I've been scared to let you see me_

_Waiting here for you_

"I'm not sure about the bridge though. What do you think, Scooter?" Ritchie turned to the spiky-haired blonde guitarist.

"Dude, I think it's good. Rich - we gotta wrap this up soon. I'm going out with Devon tonight."

Ritchie smiled, "Another top secret scouting mission?"

"You got it. Just call me Danger 'cause Danger is my middle name." Scooter pulled on a baseball cap and dark sunglasses.

A few months ago, Devon had taken to going to clubs to try to scout new talent for Hollis's management company. Somehow, Scooter had gotten involved and so Devon and Scooter often went together on Devon's "scouting missions."

"I don't get why you're so into this, man. You're helping the competition. It blows my mind." Mason said as he put his guitar back into its case.

"First rule of business, my friends, know your competitors. Besides, it's fun. I get to dress up incognito and have fun without everyone knowing that Scooter from 5LeoRise is in the house." Scooter discarded his baseball cap and picked up a cowboy hat. "Tonight, I think I'll be Danger from Texas."

"So if you're Danger, what's Devon - Trouble?" Ritchie teased.

"Naw man, she always goes by the same name - Suzy Parker. She won't tell me where it's from either." Scooter rolled his eyes.

_It's the Velvet Raven's alter ego_. Ritchie thought as he remembered Devon wearing the Velvet Raven costume all those years ago. _And it was a great costume. She looked amazing._

Just then, a flame-haired woman in body-hugging black catsuit and sunglasses walked through the door. "Hey guys" said the woman with Devon's voice.

"Devon?! Is that you?" Ritchie choked out - shocked to see Devon in such a suggestive get up.

"Darlin' - so glad you could make it" Scooter affected a Texas drawl as he kissed Devon on both cheeks and she giggled. "Let's go, Suzy."

"Okay. Rich - the bridge sounded great. See you guys later." Devon called out as she and Scooter walked out.

"Where are you guys headed?" Ritchie called after them.

"Oval." Scooter called back - naming a new club that was fast gaining a reputation for booking the hottest unsigned bands in LA.

Ritchie turned to Mason, "Can you believe that get up that Devon had on? She's just asking for trouble."

"Dude - what's your problem? She's barely showing any skin."

"She looks like Britney Spears in that Oops, I did it again video. Except that Britney's outfit was red and Devon's is black."

"Come to think of it, Britney did look pretty hot in that video. Okay - I see where you're going with this. I guess I just don't notice because I don't see Devon that way." Mason put a slight emphasis on the last phrase - which Ritchie didn't pick up on at all. _Unlike some people I know_. Mason thought to himself.

"She's just asking for trouble." Ritchie muttered as he walked out carrying his guitar.

"When are the two of them going to realize what's staring them in the face?" KK asked Mason as KK stepped out from behind the drums.

"Dude - it's Ritchie and Devon. It's been years and they're still both oblivious." Mason answered.

"I think that Ritchie will soon realize what he might lose. Mama Fortunata told me so." Nikolai intoned solemnly.

"Your fortune teller? Nik - I thought you weren't seeing her anymore." KK shook his head at his bandmate.

"Mama Fortunata tells the truth. She foresaw that I would become a citizen two years ago."

"Nik - you became a citizen because Devon and Gabby helped you study and you passed the citizenship test. It's not magic. It was your own hard work." KK explained.

"No - Mama Fortunata tells the truth. You will see." Nikolai smiled enigmatically.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Movie Star**

_Author's note: I picture Reese Worthington as being played by Jensen Ackles of the TV show "Supernatural." _

_Special thanks to Maiqu for pointing out that Ritchie's full name (and Scooter's too) is given in the movie when Ritchie, Mason and Scooter are being interrogated by Lincoln._

Devon was bored. She should never have let Scooter talk her into coming to this party.

They had gone to Oval as planned and seen a couple of bands -- only one of which was really exciting enough to remember. Devon had made a mental note to try to catch a couple more of that band's shows before she went to Hollis.

Garrett Worthington from the Lepers had been at Oval. He had been the one to tell Scooter about the party.

"You've got to come! Otherwise, I'll be so bored. It's my brother's party and I can't stand most of the people who he has coming."

"Why?" asked Scooter as he lifted his drink "What's your brother do?"

Devon hadn't heard Garrett's response since the next band had taken the stage and started to play. But it must have been enough to get Scooter's attention because he had insisted on going to the party and dragging Devon along.

"Scooter - I'm tired. I just want to go home." Devon whined.

"Darlin' - trust me. You'll thank me later." Scooter drawled.

So they had gone to some big McMansion in the Hills where Devon was currently standing by the pool - bored. Scooter had become entranced by some model/slash/actress and God only knows where Garrett had gotten to.

"Emma Peel, I presume" intoned a deep voice behind her.

Devon spun around and gasped, "You're you!"

The tall blonde man smiled and said, "Yeah - I'm Garrett's brother. Don't hold that against me."

"No - I mean, I didn't know you were Garrett's brother. God, it all makes sense now. He said he hated most of the people who came to your parties. God, I'm babbling."

"Don't worry - it's mostly charming."

"Can we start over? I'm Devon. Devon Thompson."

"Pleased to meet you Devon Thompson. I'm Reese Worthington."

"I know. I hated your last movie. Except your part, of course. Was that totally rude? I'm sorry. I'm just a little stunned to be meeting Reese Worthington."

Reese laughed. "It's actually refreshing to not have someone kissing my ass. You can't possibly be an actress or in the industry, are you?"

"No, God, no. At least not the movie industry. I work for a music management company. We manage Garrett's band. That's how Garrett and I met."

Reese looked at Devon appreciatively, "So you're that Devon. Garrett talks a lot about you. But he didn't tell me how beautiful you are. My brother and I will be having words later."

Devon blushed. "Garrett didn't tell me his brother was the famous Reese Worthington or that we would be coming to your party. We'll be having words as well."

Reese grinned sheepishly, "My brother doesn't like to look like he's trading on my fame. It's one of his more redeeming features. So Devon Thompson, want the nickel tour of my house?"

"I'm guessing it costs more than a nickel. But yeah - I'd love to." Devon slipped her hand into the crook of Reese's proffered elbow.

_The next morning_

Devon adjusted her cell phone headset as she poured herself a glass of orange juice, "Gabby, I wish you could have been there. The whole thing was so surreal. I met Reese Worthington. Reese Worthington took me on a tour of his house."

"So was he as cute in person as he is in the movies? By the way, I hated his last movie. Totally unbelievable. But he was good, though. Oh - and tell me about his house. No detail is too small."

Devon smiled. She missed Gabby who was currently in medical school at Stanford. It was the first time the two of them had really been apart. But Gabby's dream had always been medical school and if it made Gabby happy, then Devon would have to make do with almost daily phone calls.

"Cuter - way cuter. And his house is amazing. The requisite LA infinity pool. The movie theater quality screening room. And it was all so tastefully done. Everything matched so well. Like something out of Better Homes and Gardens. Totally not like Ritchie's house for example. I think Ritchie's idea of interior design is making sure he's got matching anime posters on his walls."

While Devon couldn't see it, Gabby rolled her eyes. _Typical Devon, _Gabby thought, _Every guy's gotta be compared to Ritchie._

"Gabs - he asked me to his movie premiere."

"OH MY GOD! Devon - we've been on the phone for half an hour and you're just telling me this now! Way to bury the lead! Okay, okay - let's discuss. What are you wearing?"

"Gabby - it's not like it's a date or anything. I don't even know if I'm going." Devon flopped down on her couch.

"Of course, it's a date! A movie premiere is a high profile event in LA - let alone a Reese Worthington movie premiere! And you are going, my friend. I don't care if I have to fly down there and put you in a dress myself. You are going." Gabby stated with finality.

"I don't know. Things are really picking up at work. You know that 5LeoRise have that tour coming up. The band needs me. Even if this is a date, I don't really know if I have time for a relationship right now."

Gabby sighed, "Devon - I want you to listen to me very carefully. I love Ritchie - you know that."

"This doesn't have anything to do with Ritchie" Devon interrupted. _Liar_ said a small voice inside Devon's head.

"Sweetie, don't interrupt me. As I was saying, I love Ritchie. But for the past six years, all I've watched you do is wait for him. I've seen you end it with guy after guy just because they have the bad luck not to be Richard Tressiak. Devon - you're in love with him. You need to tell him."

"I'm not in love with Ritchie. I'm not that starry-eyed 16-year-old girl." Devon shifted uncomfortably. "Anyway, Ritchie doesn't even see me that way. We're just friends. That's all we've ever really been. That's all we'll ever be."

"Oh-kay" Gabby dragged out the two syllables. "Fine - you're just friends. If that's really true, then prove it. Stop using him and the band as an excuse. A freakin' movie star just asked you out. GO OUT WITH HIM, Devon. Have fun. Maybe it will turn into something. Maybe it won't. But you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Sweetie, I gotta go -- I'm sorry. I'm going to be late for class."

"Yeah sure. I'll talk to you later."

"Go to this thing, Devon. Promise me."

"Okay, okay. Have a good class. Call me later." Devon pushed the end call button on her phone and stared thoughtfully out of her window.

_What the hell, _she thought, _it's only a movie premiere._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Big Premiere**

_Author's note: I updated the last chapter to reflect Ritchie's full name as given in the movie. Special thanks to Maiqu for pointing out that Ritchie's full name (and Scooter's too) is given in the movie when Ritchie, Mason and Scooter are being interrogated by Lincoln._

_Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing. If you notice a discrepancy between something I write and what's in the movie, please point it out to me in a review. There might be a real reason for the discrepancy. But it also might be (and more likely is) because I didn't realize that particular detail was provided in the movie. I am trying to stay as close to the "canon" of the movie as I can._

_On with the story . . . ._

_Ding dong _rang Devon's doorbell.

"Coming" she called as she pulled her hair into a messy pony tail and then opened her door.

"Hey" Ritchie smiled as he stepped inside Devon's apartment, "I'm headed to In-N-Out Burger and I thought you might want to join." Ritchie looked closer and took in the emerald green strapless minidress and sparkling chandelier earrings that Devon was wearing. "But I'm guessing you'd be a bit overdressed. Where are you headed?"

"Movie premiere - The Last Falconer. Can you zip me up? I'm having a bit of trouble with this dress." Devon turned and presented her half-zipped back to Ritchie.

Ritchie gulped involuntarily. "Yeah sure." He zipped her dress and noticed Devon's smooth bare back, his fingers itching to linger longer. But he made himself move his hands.

"So" he made himself say nonchalantly "Who are you going with? Hollis or somebody?"

"No actually." Devon turned back to face him. "I'm going with Reese Worthington. I'm not sure but I think it could be a date."

"Back up. Reese Worthington - the actor? The star of The Last Falconer? That guy?"

"Yeah - we met at that party I went to the other night with Garrett and Scooter. Didn't Scooter mention that we met him?" Devon asked as she slipped into her heels. "Okay - help me out. Hair up or down?"

"Down. You always look better with it down. And Scooter mentioned you guys went to a party at this guy's house. He did not mention this guy asked you out. Why am I only hearing about this now? And why do you think it might be a date."

Devon pulled her hair out of her pony tail and fluffed her hair with her fingers. "I'm not sure if it's a date, okay. We only just met. But I talked to Gabby and -"

"Hold up." Ritchie interrupted, "Gabby knows! Gabby - who's in Palo Alto knows and you didn't tell me?! I thought I was your best friend too."

"Look - it's not a big deal. I don't even know if it's really a date. I only think it might be a date because Gabby said so. She said that it's a movie premiere and that's a big deal in LA and so it must be a date. And you've been really busy with the album. It's not like I'm trying to hide it from you." Devon said as she turned from Ritchie to face the mirror and apply her lipstick.

"Uh huh. So Gabby thinks it's a date. But you don't." said Ritchie, not wanting to admit that he thought that Gabby was right.

"I'm not sure. He's a movie star, right? He could be with anyone. Okay - how do I look?" Devon turned back to face Ritchie.

"You look great. You always look great in that shade of green." Ritchie admitted as he flashed back to the first time he saw Devon in green - dressed up as a peacock. _I remember how she looked sitting next to me with her eyes closed. She looked so happy. I just had to kiss her_.

Devon blushed prettily. "Thanks Rich. I can't believe I'm so nervous about this." She smiled at him and widened her eyes.

"What's to be nervous about? It's just a movie premiere."

"Yeah - of a Reese Worthington movie! And I'm going with Reese Worthington! It's like I'm Cinderella or something."

"And what am I - your fairy godmother?" Ritchie teased.

"No way - that's Scooter! You're one of the singing mice." Devon teased back.

"A singing mouse! That's what you're casting me as? Woman - you wound me!" Ritchie clutched his chest and pretended to stagger back.

Devon giggled. Then the doorbell rang. "Oh God! It must be him!"

"Cue Prince Charming." muttered Ritchie unenthusiastically as Devon walked to the door and opened it.

"Hey" Reese took off his sunglasses and looked Devon up and down appreciatively. "You look incredible."

"Thanks. You look great too. Reese - I'd like you to meet one of my best friends - Ritchie Tressiak."

"Hey - it's great to meet you. I love your sound." Reese stuck out his hand.

"Thanks." Ritchie said curtly as he briefly shook Reese's hand. "Congrats on the movie."

"Yeah - hope it does okay. Dev - I think you ought put your hair up. It's kind of hot outside. You'll be more comfortable."

"Okay - sure. Good thinking. I'll be right back." Devon walked back to her bedroom."

"So" Reese stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at Ritchie. "Have you known Dev long?"

"Yeah - I've known _Dev-on_ since she was 16." Ritchie placed added emphasis on the two syllables. _Who the hell does this guy think he is calling her by a nickname? He just met her_.

"Oh really." Reese said noncommittantly. "That's quite a while then."

"Yeah."

"Okay - I'm ready." Devon emerged from the bedroom with her hair up in an elegant chignon."

"Great." Reese smiled. "We should get going then. Rich - it was nice to meet you."

"I prefer Ritchie actually. But great to meet you." Ritchie half smiled briefly.

"Ritchie - do you mind locking up behind us?" Devon put a hand on Ritchie's shoulder and looked at him. _What's going on_?Her eyes seemed to be saying.

"No problem. Have a great time." Ritchie pulled Devon into a quick hug.

As the door closed behind Devon and Reese, Ritchie muttered "It was better down."

_Two days later_

Ritchie walked into the rehearsal studio and saw three of his bandmates huddled together. "What's going on" he asked.

"Nothing." said Scooter as he whipped a magazine behind his back. "Not a thing. What's going on with you?"

"Nothing. What have you got behind your back?" Ritchie asked as he picked up his guitar.

"This - just one of those gossips mags." Scooter scoffed as he tried to casually toss the magazine aside.

"I didn't know you were into those things." Ritchie said as he tuned the strings on his guitar.

"I'm not. Sometimes Danielle is in them because of that idiot boy toy she married."

"Not still pining after your ex, are you?" asked a grinning Ritchie.

"Don't be ridiculous. But we did used to be married. I like to know what's going on."

"Well - I hear she's getting divorced." Mason added.

"Really - what have you heard?" Scooter whipped around to stare at Mason.

Just then Nikolai walked in carrying the same gossip magazine that Scooter had just tossed. "Guys - Devon has her picture in this paper. She looks very pretty."

"Give me that" Ritchie snatched the magazine from Nikolai's hands. Ritchie clenched his jaw as he looked at the picture of a smiling Devon holding hands with Reese as they walked down the red carpet.

The caption under the picture read: _Looks like Reese has found a new leading lady. Are they serious? Only time will tell._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: There when she needed him most**

_Author's note: Since the movie filmed in Utah, I thought I'd make Devon from Utah. I don't recall the film saying where her hometown is located. But if I'm wrong, let me know._

"Hey Holly" Devon said as she walked down into Hollis's office, pecked him on the cheek, and sat down on the sofa next to him, "you wanted to see me?"

"Hey sweetie." Hollis smiled at her. "I wanted to talk about where we are with the tour. I think we've got the West Coast cities nailed down. But where are we on the East Coast venues?"

Devon opened her folder and proceeded to update Hollis on the progress with the concert venues in New York, New Jersey and other East Coast states.

Devon had started interning for Hollis's company during her junior year at college at Ritchie's suggestion. When Ritchie had suggested it, Devon had thought it would be a cool temporary gig - a fun way to hang out with the band while earning college credit at the same time. But as her internship progressed, she realized that she loved being in music management. It was a field that seemed to combine all the things that she loved and was good at - music, tenacity, assertiveness, organization, and an ability to get other people to do what she wanted them to do.

And as she came to work more closely with Hollis, she realized that he cared about 5LeoRise and cared very deeply. She saw how protective he was of the band and how he defended them to label. Devon even realized that Hollis's ill-conceived idea years ago to have Ritchie lip sync songs in concert was motivated by a real concern for and a desire to keep Ritchie in the band, no matter the cost.

She had even come to see Hollis as a surrogate father figure, especially in light of what had occurred at the end of her junior year.

**_Flashback to the day after Devon finished her last final exam for her junior year of college**_

"Finally! I'm done." Devon flopped down dramatically on Ritchie's couch.

"Good. Cause all of your stressing was beginning to stress me out." Ritchie said as he lifted her legs, sat down and then put her legs on his lap.

"Good Lord - what now?" Devon muttered as her she reached for her ringing cell phone. "Hello. Slow down, Danielle - what happened? Oh my god. Oh my god."

Ritchie's brows knit together and he looked at Devon with increasing concern as she swung her feet to the floor and her face lost color. "Devon - what's wrong? What happened?"

"I'm on the next flight, Danielle. I'll be home soon. I love you too. Tell mom I love her." Devon didn't notice but Ritchie did notice that tears were streaming down Devon's face. Ritchie took Devon's hand, "What? Tell me what happened?"

"My dad. He had a heart attack. He died." Devon put her hand to her mouth and looked at Ritchie horrified, as if she was aghast the words had left her mouth. Then her face crumpled and she began to cry.

Ritchie took Devon into her arms and just held her for a few long minutes. Devon then sat up and wiped her face with her hands.

"What do you need? Tell me what you want me to do?" Ritchie asked Devon intently.

"I need to go home. I need to get home." Devon whispered.

"Not a problem. I'll have Kevin buy you a ticket on the next flight out." Ritchie said firmly as he picked up his cell phone to call Hollis's assistant Kevin.

After a brief conversation with Kevin, Ritchie then told Devon, "Okay we're both first class on the next flight to Salt Lake City. We have a couple of hours. Let me pack a bag real quick. Then we'll go to your apartment and get your stuff and then go to the airport."

Devon looked at Ritchie bewilderingly, "You're coming with me."

Ritchie said gently, "Of course I am. You're not getting on that airplane alone. And Gabby already left two days ago right? So it's just you and me, then."

Devon closed her eyes, "Gabby. She loved my dad too."

"I'll call her. Let her know." Ritchie said as he stood up. "Just give me a few minutes and we'll leave soon, okay?"

"Okay." Devon answered, even though nothing felt okay.

The days and three months that followed took on a surreal quality. Looking back, Devon could hardly remember or distinguish one day from the next. The only good thing that had come from the whole experience was a new sense of closeness with Danielle as they both leaned on each other - a lot.

That and realizing that Ritchie was there when she needed him most.

Ritchie had come out with Devon to Utah and had in fact stayed the summer - renting a house down the street from Devon's. It was Ritchie and Gabby who had stayed home with Devon when she needed it, left her alone when she needed it, and gently pushed her to do social activities when she needed it.

Only years later did Devon learn that Ritchie had risked the wrath of the label by staying the summer in Utah with her rather than spend the summer in the studio in LA. And only years later did Devon learn that it was Hollis and the rest of the band that had supported and protected Ritchie's decision.

_**Flashforward to Hollis's office**_

"Well that sounds great. Devon - I'm really proud of your progress with planning this tour."

"Thanks, Holly. It's been a lot of fun."

"In fact, I'm thinking about having you fly solo as tour manager for some of these cities."

"Hollis - do not joke about that. You know how much I want that." Devon looked at him with deadly earnestness.

"Young lady - you know I don't joke about touring. I'm serious. You've been doing a stellar job on this tour, on top of your responsibilities to the other bands. You've earned this."

"Holly - you're the best" Devon hugged him, "All right - which cities? You should let me have Chicago. And Denver. And you have to let me do Salt Lake."

"Slow down, slugger. We'll discuss later. I've got to get to another meeting." Hollis stood up and reached for his coat. "And young lady, when am I meeting this guy I keep hearing about? The movie star? I keep seeing your picture with this guy in US Weekly for the past seven months."

"Soon - in fact, Reese wants to throw a big party in a couple of weeks. You've got to come."

"Sounds lovely. Let me know when and I'll be sure to be there. Oh and Devon - what's up with the new look and hair? Is it the movie star's idea?"

Devon touched her upswept hair self-consciously, "What you think I can't decide to make a change on my own?"

"Sweetie - I don't mean anything by it. It's just such a big change, it's hard not to notice. All the updone hair and black clothing and all. When you used to be so big into color."

"I'm trying to look more professional. I thought you of all people would approve." Devon retorted.

"Whatever makes you happy, sweetie" Hollis laughed. "All right -- I'm off to the label. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Hollis kissed Devon on the cheek and walked out of the office.

Devon sank back slowly to the couch and grinned. _Oh my god. Solo tour manager. I've got to tell Ritchie. And Gabby. And Scooter. God - everybody!_

It wasn't until the next day that Devon thought to tell Reese.

"Honey, that sounds like an amazing opportunity for the future." Reese said before forking his salad and putting the forkful in his mouth.

"What do you mean - the future?" Devon asked.

"It's just that this tour is going to be happening when I'm filming my next movie. I thought we agreed that you were going to move to the location so we can be together."

"Reese - I didn't _agree_ to anything. You mentioned a couple of weeks ago that you'd be in Australia filming and that we should try to see each other as much as possible. You never said anything about me moving out there."

"Honey - if you're on this North American tour with some boy band and I'm on a totally different continent, when are we going to get to see each other?"

"They're not a _boy band_. They are really talented musicians. Reese - this my job. This is what I do. I've worked really hard for this and I've earned this." Devon said with conviction.

"Devon - I know this is important to you." Reese covered her hand with his own and looked into her eyes. "But you're important to me. You and me - us together - that's important to me. Isn't that important to you?

"Of course it is. It just feels like you're making me choose. And I don't like it." Devon frowned.

"Don't pout - it'll give you wrinkles." Reese smiled. "Look we don't have to talk about this now. Just think about it, okay."

"Okay" Devon said skeptically. _He's just trying to keep us together_, she told herself. Even as part of her couldn't help but feel like Reese's concern was feeling more and more like control.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Just no to caramel**

_Author's note: The movie mentioned that Mason, Scooter, and Ritchie were discovered by Hollis in Orlando. So I decided to make Ritchie from Florida._

"Dude - I hate this song. Change the station." Mason moaned from the backseat of Ritchie's car.

"Too bad, sucka. I called shotgun and that means I get to control the radio station." Scooter smiled.

"I thought the driver got to control the radio station." Ritchie pointed out as he maneuvered his car from the highway onto the exit ramp.

"No way. That'll just distract you from driving. Safety first. Right - Doctor Davis?" Scooter called back to Gabby.

"I'm not a doctor yet, Scooter. And I'm not getting in the middle of this." Gabby said definitively."

"So Gabs - how's med school treating you?" Ritchie asked.

"It's great. And by great, I mean it's a ton of work and I never get a full night's sleep. But I love my professors and I've met some really great people - like my lab partner Jeff that I was telling you guys about earlier." Gabby grew more and more animated.

"So who is this Jeff character and why are you always talking about him?" Mason frowned at Gabby.

Ritchie turned to Scooter and grinned briefly. Typical Mason/Gabby interaction, the grin seemed to say. No one knew exactly what the status of Mason's and Gabby's relationship was - not even Devon. Mason and Gabby were uncharacteristically vague about the whole thing. But everyone noticed that Mason got a bit jealous whenever Gabby brought up Jeff and that Gabby grew a foul temper when Mason didn't call enough.

"So I can't believe I finally get to meet Reese Worthington! And see his house too! Does anybody know what kind of food we'll be getting at this party?" Gabby changed the subject.

"Knowing Devon, I'm sure we'll have plenty of key lime pie." Ritchie proclaimed.

"And no caramel." Scooter added.

**_Flashback to two years ago**_

"So this is the famous Annie's Diner, huh?" Devon looked around the restaurant. "It's cute."

"But wait until you try their specialty - key lime pie. Best key lime pie in Key West. Hell - best key lime pie in all of Florida." Ritchie proclaimed and leaned back in the booth. Then, abruptly, he leaned forward, "Listen, Dev, I really want to thank you for coming down with me and helping out with my grandma while she's been sick. She and my mom are all the family I've got."

"Of course I came. After the way you were there for me when my dad died. I owe you this much at least." Devon smiled ruefully.

"You don't owe me anything. We're best friends. We're there for each other. That's what we do." Ritchie took Devon's hand and held it, only letting go when the waitress came and took their order - one slice of key lime pie and two forks.

"Rich, can I ask you a question." Devon asked.

"Ask away." Ritchie took a sip from his water glass.

"Do you ever think about trying to find your dad?" Devon nervously twisted her paper napkin, unsure how Ritchie would react to her question.

"My dad. Huh. I haven't thought about him in a while. Honestly - no." Ritchie tried to say nonchalantly.

"He's your family though, Ritchie." Devon said gently.

"Devon - he stopped being my family when I was six years old and he walked out on me and my mom. And I haven't heard from him since. You know, it's funny - when 5LeoRise first started to get famous and I started getting press attention, I used to think that my dad would try to contact me. You know, hit me up for money or something like that. I used to imagine how I would laugh in his face. But then he never did get in touch with me. And now I don't want him to. And I don't want to try to find him. And I don't miss him." Ritchie looked at Devon and shrugged.

Devon almost believed Ritchie when he said he didn't miss his father. But she saw the tight set of Ritchie's shoulders and she knew Ritchie better.

This time, Devon reached out and took Ritchie's hand. "You're wrong, you know. Your mom and your grandma aren't the only family you have. At least if you define family as the people who love you."

Ritchie just looked at his and Devon's intertwined hands and neither said anything until the waitress came back with the slice of key lime pie and two forks.

Devon speared some pie onto her fork and took a bite. "Oh my god! This is incredible! And I don't even like pie that much!"

"I told you - best in Florida. Hell -- best in the whole country!" Ritchie smiled widely.

"I will never doubt you about pie again." Devon said solemnly.

"That is a wise move on your part, Thompson. 'Cause I know my pies." Ritchie stated.

"Just no pies with caramel." Devon said warningly.

"I know. I know. You hate caramel." Ritchie rolled his eyes. "And by the way, how can you hate caramel? It's gooey and sugary. It's like saying you hate chocolate."

"I don't have a problem with chocolate. But caramel is all sticky and it gets in your teeth. Just no. Just no to caramel." Devon shook her head.

"Weirdo" Ritchie muttered.

"Freak" Devon retorted.

Then they both grinned at each other and proceeded to eat the rest of the pie.

**_Flashforward to inside Ritchie's car**_

"Here we are. Casa de Worthington." Scooter said as Ritchie stopped the car.

"God, it's gorgeous. I can't wait to see inside." Gabby bounded out of the car.

"Yeah - can't hardly wait." Ritchie said without enthusiasm.

Mason's and Scooter's eyes met in the rear view mirror. Both had noticed their friend's increasing jealousy and irritation over Devon's relationship with Reese. And both hoped this party would be drama free.

It would turn out to be a vain hope.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: I have a surprise for you**

_So far, so good_. Devon thought as she surveyed the guests at the party. She spotted Hollis talking to KK and Nik. She waved at her mom and her sister, both of whom had arrived a couple of days ago. Devon had offered to put both of them up at her place but was secretly relieved when Danielle had announced that she had booked herself and their mother at the Four Seasons. Devon loved her mom and her sister but having them both stay at her modest two-bedroom apartment would have been a bit much.

Devon smiled as she thought about Danielle. Although she and Danielle were a lot closer than they had been when Devon was in high school, Danielle was still a lot to handle. Basically, Danielle still expected the world to revolve around her. Having been married to Scooter (a rock star) and Ben (a fashion model) had only inflated Danielle's ego. Currently, Danielle was on husband number three - Carlos, a supposedly aspiring DJ who was also heir to his father's computer empire. Devon had noticed that Carlos had not made the trip from New York City with Danielle and that Danielle rarely spoke about Carlos since she had arrived. Sometimes Devon worried about her sister finding lasting happiness and wondered whether Danielle would have been better off trying to make it work with Scooter.

Speaking of which - Devon spotted Danielle talking to -- or more accurately, flirting with -- Scooter, whom Danielle called "her favorite ex-husband."

Devon sighed, turned and saw Gabby, Mason and Ritchie together. Just as Devon was about to walk over to them, Reese appeared in front of her. "Honey," he said as he lightly kissed her on the lips, "Have I mentioned how incredible you look?" Reese looked over Devon's little black dress and upswept hair with approval.

"Not in the last thirty minutes." Devon smiled and kissed him again.

"I have a surprise for you," Reese smiled and turned to face the roomful of guests. "Everybody - could I have your attention?"

Once everyone quieted down, Reese continued, "I want to thank everyone for coming. Especially Devon's mom Val for flying down here and Danielle for making the cross-country journey. I'm so glad you could all be here for this." Reese then turned back to Devon and got down on one knee.

"Oh my god. Reese - what are you doing?" Devon put her hands to her mouth as a collective gasp went through the room.

"Devon Lissette Thompson - you are the most incredible woman I have ever met. You're beautiful, smart and funny. You try to take care of everyone around you. And you deserve to have someone who wants to take care of you for the rest of your life. And I want to be that person. Devon, I love you so much. Will you marry me?" Reese took out a small jewelry box from his pants pocket and opened it to reveal and large diamond ring which he then slipped onto Devon's left ring finger.

Devon looked into Reese's steady eyes which were locked onto hers and found herself saying, "Yes."

The room erupted in applause as Reese stood up and kissed Devon. Except for one man who stood silently stunned.

Ritchie turned and made his way out of the room, as if in a daze, and headed outside to the pool. His throat tight and his stomach in knots, all he could think was, _I have to get out of here. This isn't happening._

_Author's note: There's more that's going to happen at this party so stay tuned. Thanks for the continued reviews. I really appreciate them. Keep them coming!_

_To __Cydney-Sumiye - Banana cream pie is Ritchie's favorite. So I thought it made sense and symmetry to have him introduce Devon to another kind of pie which would become her favorite._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: He doesn't even know you**

"Hey - I'm glad you're still here. I've been looking for you everywhere. I thought you might have left." Devon frowned as she walked toward the edge of the pool where Ritchie stood.

"Nope -- still here." Ritchie took a deep breathe and tried to calm his rioting emotions. He turned to face Devon with what he hoped was a sincere-looking smile on his face. "So congratulations, then. You seemed pretty surprised."

"Totally. I had no idea that he was thinking along these lines." Devon shook her head in wonderment.

"But this is what you want, right?" Ritchie asked intently.

Devon looked at him with wide eyes. "Of course. He loves me."

"And you love him?" Ritchie whispered the question, as if it was hard to push the words out of his mouth.

"Why wouldn't I? He's amazing. He's so talented and he wants to be with me. He even wants me to move with him to Australia in three months when he goes on location for his next movie." Devon took a few steps away from Ritchie and sat down on a lounge chair by the pool.

"Wait a minute - he wants you to move to Australia in three months? But the tour starts then. How long would you have to be in Australia?" Ritchie approached Devon.

"I don't know. He thinks filming would take probably six months." Devon didn't look at Ritchie but looked instead at the water.

"6 months?! You'd miss the entire tour!" Ritchie exclaimed.

"Look, nothing's been decided. I told him about the tour and Hollis saying that I might be solo tour manager for some of the cities. And then Reese brought up that he'd be in Australia and he wants us together --" Devon started to explain but Ritchie interrupted.

"So you tell him about how _your _career is taking off and he demands that you drop it to play housewife in Australia?! Jesus Christ, Devon! How much of yourself are you going to sacrifice to this guy?! For God's sake, he doesn't even know you!" Ritchie exploded.

"What the hell are you talking about!" Devon demanded as she stood up and stalked over to Ritchie so that she was inches away from him.

"I'm talking about the fact that this guy wants you to put your career on hold for six months while he promotes his. And then all of a sudden he proposes! I'm talking about how you never wear your hair down anymore. I'm talking about how all you seem to wear lately is black or some other neutral, boring shade. I'm talking about how it's your goddamn party and they're serving creme caramel. And you hate caramel! Where are _you_ in this relationship, Devon? Or is it all just about _him_?" Ritchie swept his arms around as if to encompass Reese's entire house.

"You have no right to say this crap to me! You don't know anything about me and Reese! He makes me happy! He just proposed to me for God's sake! And if you really were my friend, you would want me to be happy!" Devon's face crumpled and she started to cry.

"Devon, I --" Ritchie reached out his hand to try to touch her.

"Don't." Devon stepped back. "I think you should go."

"Devon, let's just talk about this, please." Ritchie started to say.

"No" Devon said quietly as she turned away from him. "Just go, Ritchie. Please, just go."

Ritchie looked at Devon's rigid back for a long moment before turning and walking away.

Devon collapsed into the nearby lounge chair and cried silently into her hands.

"Dev-on, Reese is looking for you." Nikolai walked over to Devon. When she lifted her tear-stained face to him, Nikolai said nothing but took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. She smiled at him gratefully.

"Dev-on, I will tell Reese that I could not find you. Then I will sneak you to the upstairs bathroom and you can repair yourself before you see Reese." Nikolai proclaimed.

"Good plan." Devon smiled a watery smile. Nikolai gave a brief, but elegant bow, before turning to go back into the house. He stopped after a few steps, turned around, walked to Devon and enveloped her in a strong hug. "It will be all right, Dev-on. Mama Fortunata told me so."

Devon couldn't help but give a brief laugh. "Nik, I didn't know you were still seeing her. I hope Mama Fortunata is right, though." She tried to smile but couldn't quite manage it.

"You will see, Dev-on. You will see." Nik said as he gave her back a reassuring pat before releasing her.

_Back in the house_

"Gabs - can you and Mason and Scooter get a ride back with somebody? I really need to get out of here." Desperation tinged Ritchie's voice as he ran his hand through his hair.

Gabby saw a pain in Ritchie's eyes that she had never seen before. "Rich - what happened? Did Devon find you?"

"Yeah." Ritchie gave a short, humorless laugh. "Although I'm sure she's wishing she hadn't."

"Ritchie - tell me what happened." Gabby put her hand on his shoulder and focused on him intently.

Ritchie only shook his head, wordlessly. "I really messed up Gabby. And I don't know if she'll forgive me."

"Ritchie" Gabby's voice was filled with concern for her friend.

"Don't worry about me, Gabs. I just gotta get out of here. But you should find Devon. She probably really needs you right about now." Ritchie half-smiled and gave Gabby's shoulder a squeeze before he walked quickly away.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Time to get creative**

_He doesn't know anything about me and Reese. How dare he?!_ Devon fumed and started to run even faster.

"Hey - Dev! Maybe we can take a breather. We've covered five miles already." KK panted slightly behind her.

"Oh gosh, KK! Of course." Devon slowed down and eventually stopped, allowing KK to catch up to her.

"Something going on Dev?" KK asked as he walked in a small circle.

"What do you mean?" Devon asked nervously.

"It's just that you've been running like something's chasing you or like you're trying to get away from something." KK explained. "So is there something going on?"

Devon sighed. "K - do you think I'm making a mistake marrying Reese?"

"Why are you asking?" KK raised an eyebrow.

"Ritchie basically accused me of giving up my identity to be with Reese. And it made me so mad! I'm still not even talking to him yet! It's crazy. He's crazy!" Devon cried out.

"And yet you're still asking me if you're making a mistake by marrying Reese?" KK asked gingerly.

"I just don't want to make a mistake. I mean - marriage is supposed to be forever, right?" Devon looked at him pleadingly.

"Devon, you know I can't tell you if you're making a mistake. Only you know that. I know that Ritchie cares about you a lot. We all do, Devon. But it doesn't matter what Ritchie thinks or what I think about your relationship. It only matters what you think. It only matters that you love him." KK said gently.

"If you had asked me 2 days ago whether I love Reese, I would have said yes in a heartbeat. But I don't know - I feel so confused ever since Reese proposed. And that damn party. And all the stuff that Ritchie said! And no one in my life seems to like him." Devon put up a hand as KK opened his mouth and appeared to want to start talking, "I know that you guys have been unfailingly polite. Everyone's been so polite. Gabby. My mom. Danielle. Hollis. But I can tell. No one really likes him."

"Devon, we obviously don't know him like you do. Most of us of just met him at that party and then, poof! He proposed to you. It's a lot for us to take in all at once. But if he's what you want, then I'm going to be here for you. We're all going to be here for you. Especially Ritchie. You know that." KK reminded her.

"Do I really, KK? You should have heard what he said to me. And the worst part of it is, I feel like I can't get his words out of my head. Even when I'm with Reese." Danielle looked skyward. "I don't know what to do."

"The heart wants what the heart wants. Remember - you told me that when I came out a couple of years ago?" KK smiled at her.

"I remember. You were so brave." Devon smiled.

"You love who you love. If who you love is Reese, then to hell with what anybody thinks, even Ritchie. But Devon, you have to decide whether the reason that you can't get Ritchie's words out of your head is because he has a point. I don't know. Only you can know." KK cocked his head to the side and then straightened it. "Let's go back."

Devon followed KK back to his house where she had left her car. As she put her running shoes in the trunk of her car and changed into flip flops, one phrase kept reverberating in her head.

_The heart wants what the heart wants_.

_Ritchie's house_

Ritchie reluctantly pushed himself off of his couch as it became clear that whoever was leaning on his doorbell was not going away.

"WHAT!" He snapped as he opened his door.

"Well, hello sunshine. Nice to see you too." Danielle said snappily as she whipped off her designer sunglasses. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Do I have a choice in the matter?" Ritchie asked wearily.

"Not really." Danielle breezed as she gently pushed Ritchie aside and walked into the house. Ritchie rolled his eyes and closed the door before following the scent of Danielle's very expensive perfume into his living room.

As Ritchie walked to the bar and poured out some Scotch into a glass, he asked, "What do you want, Danielle?"

"Dude! It's only 10 o'clock. Isn't it a little early for the hard stuff?" Danielle asked as she sat down on the couch and arranged her skirt around her.

"What are you - my mother? I repeat - what do you want?" Ritchie took a swig from his glass.

"Pour me a drink first, will you?" Danielle demanded.

"I thought it was a little early to be hitting the hard stuff." Ritchie smirked.

"What are _you -_ my mother? I'll have what you're having." Danielle replied. Ritchie got Danielle her drink and handed it to her. Then he sat down in the overstuffed chair next to the couch and looked back at her.

"So, Ritchie - are you planning on doing anything about this thing between you and my sister? Or are you just going to stand back and let her make the biggest mistake of her life?" Danielle stared back at Ritchie.

"She won't talk to me. She won't return my phone calls. Texting - no response. All other forms of communication - no response." Ritchie listed his efforts. "So what's your bright idea? And you think she's making a mistake too?!"

"Of course, I do. Devon never lets anyone tell her what to do. Not even me. But she lets this Reese guy dictate what she wears and what she eats. Please." Danielle eyed Ritchie for a moment, took a sip from her glass, and then placed the glass on the coffee table. "Ritchie, do you understand why Devon is marrying this Worthington fellow?"

"I'm guessing him being a world renowned movie star isn't a turnoff." Ritchie said.

"You know that's not it. That's not important to Devon." Danielle shook her head.

"Then I guess she must love him." Ritchie's jaw clenched and he took another swig of Scotch.

"I don't think that's it either." Danielle said thoughtfully. "Here's what I think is going on. You remember how much Devon loved our dad. How broken up she was when he died?"

"Of course, I remember that." Ritchie replied.

"Our dad loved Devon and me. We never doubted it. But he and Devon had something special. She was his favorite." Danielle explained. Ritchie was more than a little surprised at Danielle's even tone, which betrayed no hint of jealously or bitterness, and raised an eyebrow at her.

As if guessing what Ritchie was thinking, Danielle continued, "Of course, I had Dad wrapped around my finger. He never said no to me. But I had to work at it. Throw a tantrum here. Bat an eyelash or two there. But with Devon - he just always knew what she needed. Sometimes even before she did. He just knew how to take care of her. She misses that in her life. And Reese offers her that. Somebody who'll take care of her."

"She has that. I look out for her. We all do." Ritchie was obviously referring to his bandmates.

Danielle looked at Ritchie in disbelief. "_Come on_. She works for you. She takes care of you. You guys may care for her but if anybody is doing any taking care of anyone, it's her. Christ, Tressiak, you haven't even done anything in years about the fact that she's been in love with you since she was 16. And I'm pretty sure you've been in love with her for just as long. Why have you been such a coward anyway?"

Ritchie wanted to deny everything that Danielle had just said. He wasn't a coward. He wasn't in love with Devon. But as he opened his mouth, he realized that she was right. He was in love with Devon - had been for years. And for years, he had been afraid to admit it.

Ritchie looked down at his glass for a long moment before looking up and saying, "I don't know, really. I guess I've been afraid to let anybody in. I saw what my dad leaving did to my mom. I guess I was afraid of that happening to me."

"Hate to break this to you, Ritchie, but it's happening now. And it's going to keep on happening unless you do something to stop this train." Danielle took another sip from her glass.

Ritchie leaned forward, serious and intent. "What do I do, Danielle? How do I convince her not to marry this guy? She won't talk to me or see me."

"You're the artist - it's time to get creative." Danielle said, seemingly dismissively. As she looked at Ritchie's crestfallen expression, she seemed to relent. "Okay - you have eight hours. At 6 o'clock, you are going to text me the address of where you want me to get Devon to be. And I'll get her there. The rest is up to you." Danielle put her drink down and stood up.

As she walked towards the door, Ritchie followed behind and said, "So you'll get her there?"

Danielle turned and said, "I'll get her there. But you better make it good. And Ritchie - if you hurt my sister, you will discover new meaning to the word pain. Got it?"

"Yeah, Danielle, I got it." Ritchie agreed.

"Good." Danielle put her sunglasses on and walked out the door.

_Get creative._ Ritchie thought. Then he smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: The Kidnapping**

Devon got out of the black Lincoln town car and closed the door. Before she could do anything, the car then drove away. Devon looked at the unassuming house before her that was nestled in the heart of a quiet, middle class suburb of Los Angeles. She would never in a million years have figured that this was the kind of house that Danielle might be considering purchasing. But then again, Danielle was nothing if not unpredictable.

_Funny - it kind of looks like my old house in Utah._ Devon thought as she walked up the pathway and knocked on the door. As she rapped on the door, the unlocked door flew open. Devon walked through the door and saw a wooden table in the entranceway. A card addressed to her was on the table.

_Devon - go to the basement. 2nd door on the left. I'll be there. Can't wait to hear what you think of the place! Danielle_

Following instructions, Devon opened the second door on the left and walked down the stairs to the basement. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she looked around the basement in amazement. It looked like the basement in her old house in Utah - complete with old toys and twinkling Christmas lights.

Just then, the door at the top of the stairs slammed shut. Devon ran quickly up the stairs and tried the door knob. Locked. In frustration, Devon slammed at the door.

"You're not going to be able to break the door down, you know." A familiar voice drifts up from the bottom of the stairs.

Devon whirled around. "You! Where's Danielle?"

"As you can see, Danielle is not here." Ritchie said evenly.

"What's going on here, Ritchie?" Devon demanded as she descended the stairs and came face to face with him. "Where's Danielle? And how did you get in here?"

"As I said, Danielle is not here. And this house is kind of on loan to me." Ritchie walked over to a table and two chairs and sat down in one. He patted the other chair and looked at Devon. Reluctantly, she walked over and sat down.

"I want to tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was this scared teenager who was pretending to be a rock star but who knew he was a fake. He tried to hide his fear from everyone around him by being a dick to almost everyone he met - including his two biggest fans." Ritchie began.

"I know this story, Ritchie. I lived it too," Devon snapped.

"Just let me finish." Ritchie said quietly. His eyes were pleading and full of some other emotion that Devon was afraid to name. "Okay," she said. "Continue."

"But these two fans wouldn't give up. So they saw through his front. They helped him through his fear. One of these fans was a beautiful blonde. She believed in this scared teenager so much that, eventually, he believed in himself. And he became a rock star for real, and not just pretend. And it was all due to moment when a beautiful girl in a gorgeous and ridiculous peacock costume sat next to him and gave him the power to believe in himself." Ritchie whispered, "Close your eyes, Devon."

"Ritchie" Devon said warningly.

"Please. Devon. Please." Ritchie's voice was gentle and bittersweet. Devon looked at Ritchie's eyes - still full of that nameless emotion - and then closed her own.

Ritchie took a deep breath. _Breathe and believe_. He then took the guitar out of the case that was lying beneath the table and began to play the familiar song. _Love at first sight. Never thought it could happen to me. __But you made me believe._

Devon started mouthing the lyrics. She couldn't help herself. As Ritchie finished the song and the last notes of the guitar died away, Devon felt herself waiting for the inevitable kiss. But none came. Disappointed, she opened her eyes. And found Ritchie looking at her as if his life depended upon it.

"I love you, Devon. I have for years. And I can't let you marry him. So you're not going anywhere until you see that." Ritchie said very calmly.

"You've kidnapped me?!" Shocked, Devon enunciated every syllable very clearly, as if making sure there was no misunderstanding.

"You did the same thing to me." Ritchie pointed out.

"I was in high school! And that was years ago! We're adults now. At least, you're supposed to be!" Devon shot out of her chair and walked back and forth in front of Ritchie. "I can't believe you! Are you nuts?"

"I love you. I'm not letting you go." Ritchie spoke determinedly.

"Stop saying that!" Devon cried out in frustration. "You don't mean it."

"Don't tell me how I'm feeling." Ritchie could feel his own frustration building. He took another deep breath and released it. "I love you. I'm in love with you. And I'm saying it out loud."

"You are not in love with me. This isn't love. This is fear. You're afraid that you're going to lose the person who's been helping to take care of you and the band for years. I'm a person, Ritchie! I deserve to be happy!" Devon exclaimed. Ritchie stood up and faced Devon.

"I know you're a person, Devon. I know that you have your own identity and your own needs. Does Reese? Does he know your favorite movie? Your favorite book? Your favorite songs? Does he know you love the snow but hate the rain? Does he know how good you are at what you do? Is he proud of that? Because I am. I'm amazed by you every day, Devon. I love that you're the bossiest person I've ever met, apart from your sister. I love that you never let me be lazy, that you always push me to be the best I can be. I love how loyal you are to your friends and your family. I love that you can charm a son-of-a-bitch like Hollis into letting you call him 'Holly.' I love that you're willing to try anything, absolutely anything once. I love that you're fearless about just about everything. And I love that the best part of my day is seeing you. And, if I'm really lucky, hearing you laugh. I've been afraid for years to admit how I feel. To admit that a part of me knew all along that you've had feelings for me since you were sixteen. I was afraid because I saw what it did to my mom - when her love walked out on her. And because of that fear, I never let myself really see what was going on between us. I pushed it away. I told myself we were only friends - best friends. I was wrong to do that, Devon. I was careless with your heart. And I'll admit it - Reese wouldn't have been so careless with you. He would probably make a more attentive husband. But he doesn't need you, Devon. Not like I do. And he doesn't see you. Not really. But I see every part of you - good and bad. And I love every part - good and bad. And I know you know me like that too. So see this. See I'm telling you the truth." Ritchie breathed hard.

Devon was stunned speechless. She sat back down in the chair and stared ahead, focused on nothing. Ritchie kept his eyes on Devon and warily waited for her to say something, anything in response.

"You can't keep me here, Ritchie." Devon said in a low voice, almost too low for Ritchie to hear her.

Ritchie said nothing - only slowly sat down next to her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: If you love someone . . . **

"Devon" Gabby called out as she let herself into Devon's apartment using the spare set of keys that Devon had given her. _Weird. She said she'd be back by now_. Gabby was supposed to have dinner with Devon that evening. Gabby was anxious to talk to Devon about this ongoing fight between Devon and Ritchie. Gabby was worried about the effect it was having on Devon. And Ritchie.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Puzzled at the thought of her friend ringing the doorbell of her own apartment, Gabby opened the door.

"Abby" Reese smiled, "Have you seen Devon?"

"It's Gabby, actually." Gabby corrected Reese, more than a little annoyed. "With a 'g.' And no - I haven't seen Devon." Gabby's close friends knew that Gabby disliked very few people and said a disparaging word about even fewer. But there was something about Reese which she couldn't quite pinpoint which rubbed her the wrong way.

"Sorry" Reese smiled the rueful smile that the average movie goer regularly paid upwards of $10 to see. "It's just that I've been calling her for a couple of hours now and she's not picking up her phone."

"That's odd." Gabby commented and then looked up, "Danielle! What are you doing here?"

"What are you talking about, Gabby? You remember - Devon said I could stay here while she went out of town on business." Danielle stood behind Reese and raised her eyebrows, seeming to say _Play along._

Intrigued, Gabby decided to go along - for now. "Oh right. Where was she going again?" Gabby asked sweetly.

"You know - she's trying to sign that band - the one that lives in Arizona." Danielle answered back just as sweetly.

"What?" Reese asked as he looked at Danielle. "Why isn't she picking up her phone?"

"Reese - this band is very eco-conscious. They try to live off the grid. That means they live in a place where there aren't cell phone towers for miles." Danielle lied convincingly. It was one of her many talents - the ability to lie on her feet and lie well.

"I had no idea such places even existed." Reese said wonderingly. "You and me both." Gabby said brightly and smiled. Danielle glared warningly at Gabby. Gabby only smiled wider.

"Reese - you should just go home. Devon may be a couple of days. This band is really elusive but Hollis really wants to sign them. So Devon is going to be incommunicado for a day or so. But I'll have her call you as soon as she gets home." Danielle took Reese by the arm and led him firmly out the door.

As soon as the door closed behind Reese, Gabby waited a few seconds to make sure that he was not in eavesdropping distance. Then she looked at Danielle and said, "talk."

Danielle smiled the smile that had led many a man to open their wallet for her and proceeded to tell Gabby all about Ritchie's plan.

_The loaner house where Ritchie has Devon_

Ritchie looked over at Devon as she slept on the couch. She hadn't spoken to him in hours, not after proclaiming that he couldn't keep her. She hadn't even said anything during the makeshift dinner he had cobbled together from the non-perishable foods that he had had stocked down here. After all, he had no idea how long it would take to convince her. _At the rate we're going, I hope I have enough food to last us_. Ritchie thought. After dinner, Devon had walked over to the couch and pretended to fall asleep until exhaustion had made the pretense a reality.

He walked over to the couch and knelt down beside it. Gently, he pushed her hair out of her eyes. When she didn't wake, Ritchie decided to risk placing a soft kiss on Devon's cheek. After a while, exhaustion claimed another victim and Ritchie slept, his hand on the couch above Devon's hair.

_A few hours later_

Ritchie woke with a start from the sun in his eyes and a crick in his neck. He slowly eased himself to his feet and rubbed at the back of his neck with one hand. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the date and time. _I guess I better call Mason and tell him I'm not making rehearsal._

As Ritchie waited for Mason to pick up, he smiled at the old school song choice his friend had picked for callers to listen to.

_If you love somebody, If you love someone, Set them free. _Sting's voice sang.

Ritchie closed his eyes. Then he looked at Devon and realized that she -- and Sting -- were right. He couldn't keep her here. Not if she didn't really want to be here. Not if she didn't love him.

Ritchie pressed a button on the phone to end the call and walked to the door at the top of the stairs. He took a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He walked back down the stairs. He took out his cell phone again and placed a quick call. Then he pulled a chair in front of the couch and waited for Devon to wake up.

He didn't have long to wait. Devon opened her eyes and slowly sat up. She saw Ritchie in a chair in front of her, with sad and resigned eyes.

"You're right. I can't keep you here. So if you look, you'll see that the door is unlocked and there's a car outside waiting to take you wherever you want to go." Ritchie spoke slowly, almost as if he was unwilling to finish his sentences.

Devon got up, walked to the bottom of the stairs and looked at the open door at the top. She hesitated and then put one foot on the bottom stair.

"But I want you to understand something." Devon turned as Ritchie started speaking again, "You're wrong if you think that I don't want you to be happy. I want that more than anything, Devon. And if Reese Worthington makes you happy, then I'll be happy." Ritchie half smiled. Devon looked at Ritchie's eyes and saw truth. And love.

Ritchie opened his mouth as if to say more. But there was too much to say. And at the same time, nothing more to say. So he closed his mouth and said nothing - only continued to look at Devon.

Devon leaned forward, as if she was going to go to Ritchie. But instead, her hand on the bannister tightened and she pushed herself up the stairs and out the door.

Ritchie sat and waited in the basement for a long time. Wishing that she would come back. Knowing that she wasn't going to.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: You came back**

"Dude. You just blew my mind." Mason echoed the sentiment shared by the rest of the band who had just heard from Gabby and Danielle the story of how Ritchie had kidnapped Devon and then set her free.

"So where's Devon now?" Scooter asked.

Gabby and Danielle exchanged looks.

_**Flashback to two hours ago**_

"Devon!" Gabby exclaimed as she got up from the couch. Danielle came into the living room from the bedroom.

"Ritchie just tried to kidnap me!" Devon exclaimed with her hands on her hips.

"Oh," Gabby said weakly. As her close friends knew, Gabby was a terrible liar.

"Gabby Anne Davis," Devon advanced on her friend, "What do you know?"

"Leave her alone. She doesn't know anything." Danielle said.

"And I suppose you do." Devon turned her attention to her sister. In response, Danielle merely shrugged and said, "I take it that you and Mr. Rock Star decided against happily ever after, then."

Devon shook her head and muttered, "Unbelievable." Devon strode to her bedroom but stopped just as she passed Danielle. "He said he loved me. He said he was in love with me. He said he needed me. And he wasn't letting me go. It was all kind of moving actually. Then a few hours later, he says that he can't keep me and tells me I can go. And he says that if Reese makes me happy, then that will make him happy" Devon shook her head, to keep from crying, "And the crazy thing is - I think he was telling the truth the entire time."

"Huh," mused Danielle, "I guess he really must love you then."

"Yeah" Gabby chimed in as she walked closer to the Thompson sisters, "Especially if he's willing to sacrifice his happiness for yours."

Devon looked her sister and her friend and then strode to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, Devon emerged from the bathroom with her hair up and a determined look on her face.

"Where are you going?" Gabby asked.

"To find Reese." Devon called back as she headed out the door.

_**Flashforward to the band (minus Ritchie) and Gabby and Danielle in the rehearsal studio**_

"So what do you think Devon will do when she finds Reese?" KK asked.

Gabby and Danielle exchanged another set of looks.

"Frankly, K," Danielle said, "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Ritchie" Gabby exclaimed as the lead singer walked in. Ritchie looked at the faces looking back at him with expressions of pity and concern. "I take it you all are up to speed, then." Ritchie said dryly before he turned his attention back to opening up his guitar case.

"Rich" Scooter began but Ritchie quickly cut him off. "Scooter - I don't want to talk about. Let's just rehearse, okay." Ritchie didn't even look up as he spoke.

KK, Scooter, and Mason looked uneasily at each other. But Nikolai walked over to Ritchie, clapped a firm hand on Ritchie's shoulder and said, "Whatever you want, Ritchie. Everything will be all right. Mama Fortunata told me."

"God, Nik - don't you know that woman is a waste of your money," Ritchie shook his head in mock despair.

"You will see" Nikolai smiled.

Gabby walked over to Ritchie and wrapped him in a big hug. "Just breathe and believe, Ritchie" Gabby whispered.

"Thanks, Gabs. I'm working on it," Ritchie whispered back. Gabby kissed him on the cheek and walked out.

Danielle walked over to Ritchie. Ritchie looked at her warily and said, "You're not going to get mushy on me or anything, are you?"

"Don't be idiotic" Danielle retorted as she slapped him upside the head. "Ow" Ritchie put a hand to the back of his head, "that hurt."

"Well you deserved it." Danielle replied. She grabbed Ritchie's chin between her thumb and forefinger and gently forced him to look her in the eye, "It is fairly common knowledge that Thompson women are not idiots. We are, in fact, pretty sharp cookies. She'll come back to you."

"If you say so." Ritchie's smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"And what I say always goes." Danielle stated, as if it were a etched in stone, "Right, favorite ex-husband?"

"I gotta say, Rich - she does tend to be right an annoyingly high percentage of the time." Scooter reluctantly agreed.

Danielle looked them over and said, "I believe my work here is done." She left the room, trailing her very expensive perfume after her. "Arrivederci!"

"Who was that hurricane?" murmured KK.

Scooter clapped a hand on Ritchie's shoulder and said, "Thompson women. Best and worst thing to ever happen to a guy."

_Meanwhile at Reese's house_

Reese opened the door to Devon, "Honey - I'm so glad to see you? How was Arizona?"

"What?" Devon asked, confused.

"Your business trip that your sister said you were on," Reese replied.

"Oh, right! It was fine. Reese, we have to talk," Devon began.

"Honey - you're so right and you have impeccable timing as usual. Come with me." Reese took Devon's hand and led her to his dining room where pictures of various houses were on the table. "The realtor in Australia sent me these for us to look at. They're contenders for the house we're going to rent. And if we really like it, we can buy it."

"Reese," Devon frowned, "I still haven't decided this is what I want to do. I still have obligations to Hollis and the band. And the tour."

"Devon, c'mon," Reese said cajolingly, as he picked up a picture from the table, "I think this one is the top contender. It's a ranch really. We can have horses. Go riding every day."

"I hate horseback riding." Devon folded her arms over her chest.

"Honey - that's because you've never been riding with me." Reese grinned and kissed her on the cheek.

Devon looked at Reese as he proceeded to pick up picture after picture and list the pros and cons of each house. She felt like she could see the life she would have with Reese. See it like it was a movie unfolding before her very eyes.

She could see that he would always be concerned about her, would always want to check up on her and take care of her. And she could see how years later, that Reese's concern would go from feeling like a comforting blanket to a smothering strait jacket. She could picture how the person she was now would slowly become enfolded into Reese's magnetic persona, until there was no "us" and no "Devon." Only Reese.

Devon looked at Reese and realized that she wasn't in love with him. She was in love with someone else - a dark-haired singer who had somehow fallen into her life and, even more miraculously, never fallen out of it. She was in love with Ritchie Tressiak -- and she had been since she was sixteen years old. Devon realized that the fear that she had accused Ritchie of acting upon last night was really her own fear -- a fear that a dream she had never really dared let herself believe in would never come true.

A feeling of calm settled upon Devon. A feeling like all of the parts of heart were finally clicking into place. But it also came with a feeling of sadness for what she was about to do.

"Reese. Reese - you have to listen to me." Devon interrupted Reese as he was about to discuss another housing prospect, "I can't marry you."

"Devon - that's not funny." Reese replied.

"I'm not making a joke. I'm very serious. I made a mistake in agreeing to marry you, Reese. I'm not in love with you. I convinced myself that I was. But I see now - I was just trying to hold on to something that wasn't there. I was trying so hard to be the girl that you wanted me to be that I never let you see the girl that I am. That was wrong of me. I'm sorry for that. And I'm sorry to hurt you like this. But I can't do this." Devon pulled the ring off her left hand and placed it on the table. She kissed the cheek of a stunned and silent Reese and left the house.

Devon got into her car and exhaled a breath she didn't know she had been holding onto. Then she started her car and drove.

_Three hours later . . ._

"Dammit" Devon was pissed and cranky. She had wasted precious time stuck in traffic on the 405. Devon vowed to never listen to another traffic report on KJCA ever again. And now her not-so-new car had proceeded to die on her, just when she was only a mile from her destination.

Just then, as if to add insult to injury, the heavens opened up and it started raining. Hard.

_God, I hate the rain_. Devon thought as she looked up at the dark sky through her front window. Devon thought about calling for a tow and waiting. But she realized that she could never just sit here. Then, she realized that her running shoes were still in the trunk of her car . . .

Ten minutes later, running shoes laced up on her feet, Devon started a brisk pace down the path that would take her where she need to go.

_I have to get to him. I just have to._ That's all Devon could think. Never mind that it was a mile to his house. Never mind that it was raining - raining in torrents in a way rarely seen in Southern California. Never mind that she was soaked and exhausted._ I have to tell him._

_Ritchie's house_

Ritchie lay on the sofa, mentally and physically drained. Rehearsal had not gone well. He could barely concentrate and had forgotten half of the lyrics to half of the songs. Out of kindness, his bandmates had said nothing. But he could tell that they were worried. They were going to go out on tour soon. _Nothing says successful tour like a lead singer who can't sing_. Ritchie thought. He vowed to get it together in time for the tour. But for right now, Ritchie vowed to get drunk enough to forget. As soon as he could pull himself up off the couch.

His pity party was interrupted by the long, uninterrupted sound of someone leaning on his doorbell. "I'm going to kill Danielle," Ritchie muttered as he reluctantly levered himself up from his couch, "I don't care whose sister she is or who she was married to."

Ritchie opened the door . . . to a soaking wet Devon.

"What the hell happened to you?" Ritchie demanded.

"I ran. A mile. It's raining." Devon walked past Ritchie as she panted and shivered. Ritchie closed the door.

"It's not raining. It's monsoon season in Calcutta. So you decided to go for a run? In the rain?! Are you nuts? You hate the rain! I'm going to get you a towel. Or five." Ritchie said as he started to walk towards the stairs and the upstairs bathroom.

"Wait" Devon said a bit desperately. "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?" Ritchie asked.

"Mean what you said back in that loaner house. That if Reese made me happy, then you were happy." Devon looked at him with bright eyes.

"I meant everything I said to you back there. And I meant that too." Ritchie stood perfectly still. _What is she trying to do?_ Ritchie thought. _Break my heart again?_

"What if Reese wouldn't make me happy? What if I would only be happy with someone else? What then?"

"Someone else." Ritchie repeated slowly, his brain refusing to take in the clear implication of her reference to someone else.

Devon walked to Ritchie and took his hands in her cold, wet hands, "I love you. I've been in love with you since I was sixteen years old. Last night, I accused you of acting out of fear. But I was the one that was afraid. For the past eight years, I've been afraid that you might never love me. So I hid my heart and I found excuses to push guys away. And then I met Reese. And I tried to convince myself that I loved him because he wanted to take care of me. And because I thought you and I would never be together. But it was a lie. The girl I was pretending to be for Reese was a lie. And my being in love with him was a lie. It was a lie I told myself and tried to make myself believe. But I'm not lying anymore. And I'm done with hiding my heart. I love you. I'm saying it out loud." She smiled tentatively.

Ritchie could only look wonderingly at Devon. He cupped her the side of her face with one hand, tenderly and gently. "You came back," he whispered.

"Yeah. I did." She whispered back.

Slowly and gently, he leaned in and kissed her. Kissed her with all the love and emotion that he had been storing for the past eight years. She kissed him back with the same feelings that she had been hiding and suppressing for eight years.

The kiss quickly turned from a gentle exploration to a more intensive and insistent wanting as each pressed up against each other with no space in between.

"You're going to get all wet." Devon murmured as she broke her lips away from Ritchie's and tilted her head back to allow his mouth access to her neck.

"Don't care." Ritchie muttered as he stripped off his T-shirt and went to work on tugging down the straps of Devon's dress.

Having successfully gotten Devon out of her dress, Ritchie started moving them towards the stairs leading to the Ritchie's bedroom. "Couch is closer," Devon whispered before pulling Ritchie's head down for a hot and hungry kiss. "Good thinking," he muttered before his mouth came down on hers.

Somehow, they made it to the couch where they quickly disposed of the rest of their clothes. Ritchie fished a condom from the wallet in his pants and looked down at a beautiful, waiting Devon, her hair spread gloriously across the cushion of his sofa. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Devon laughed - a laugh that was full throated and fully committed. "Don't ask stupid questions." She said as she reached up for him.

_The next morning_

Ritchie hastily pulled on a T-shirt and finished buttoning up his jeans as he ran down the stairs to answer the by now familiar sound of someone leaning on his doorbell. "Does no one realize that they _can_ stop pressing that damn button?!" he muttered as he reached the door.

He opened the door to Scooter and Mason. "Hey dude," Mason greeted him. "We came with breakfast sandwiches." Scooter held up two white paper bags and grinned.

"Look - guys, I'm not really in the mood for company right now." Ritchie said as he rubbed his face.

"Ritchie - you can't spend your life pining for Devon. Trust me, I've been down that road over a Thompson woman. It's not a good idea." Scooter said as he walked past Ritchie, with Mason following behind.

"I'm not pining." Ritchie protested. "Devon's here, okay? So could you both please go away?"

Mason looked pityingly at his deluded friend, "If she was really here, then her car would be here, dude."

"Except that my car died about a mile away and so I decided to run here." Devon came the stairs wearing a large Queen concert T-shirt. She walked up to Ritchie and kissed him as he smiled and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her tightly to his side. "Hey guys, did you bring breakfast?"

Scooter grinned and said, "Actually, we were just dropping it off for you guys." Scooter pulled Mason along with him as they both headed for the door. Ritchie and Devon heard Mason say "But I'm still hungry" before the door shut.

Ritchie grinned at Devon, "So you're hungry, then."

"Not for food." Devon said enticingly as she leaned up and kissed him again, longer this time.

"Whatever the lady wants," Ritchie said as he swept Devon in his arms and carried her to the waiting couch, her laughter ringing in his ears.

_If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours. If they don't, they never were. -- Richard Bach (author of Jonathan Livington Seagull)_

_Author's Note: Some of you may disagree with Devon apologizing to Reese for breaking up with him and believe that the blame for the failure of Reese's and Devon's relationship rests squarely with Reese. However, I believe that most relationships (romantic or otherwise) are a two-way street and the problems in any relationship (romantic or otherwise) are rarely the doing of just one person. In this case, while Reese was certainly bulldozer, he only got as much control over Devon as he did because she never stood up for herself and who she was until the very end. Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to "blame the victim." But I think it's important for Devon's own growth for her to acknowledge and take ownership of her part in creating the dynamic between herself and Reese. Ultimately, doing so helped her to see that it was unhealthy and that she really belonged in a relationship with Ritchie._

_Of course, you don't have to agree with me._

_But I hope you did enjoy revisiting these characters with me. This isn't the end though. How could we have a story about a band without an epilogue/encore! So put your hands together for that! Remember - the harder you clap (i.e., the more you review), the faster the band will come back on stage._


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue: Encore**

"So what do you think? 9 out of 10? 10 out of 10?" Ritchie asked Devon as he came backstage. The tour had been going for a few weeks. It was the first show in Salt Lake City and the band had just finished up the last song on their playlist.

"At least a 9.5" Devon smiled.

"So what do we have to do to make it a 10?" Ritchie put his hands on Devon's hips and pulled her close for a quick kiss.

Devon pretended to consider the question for a couple of seconds and then answered, "Well, you've still got the encore to wow me."

Ritchie and the rest of the band listened to the clapping, shouts and whistles of the audience as they clamored for an encore.

Devon heard it too and smiled as she fingered her necklace, a recent present from Ritchie.

_**Flashback to yesterday evening at Devon's old high school**_

Devon and Ritchie were strolling hand in hand around the track, having just had dinner with Devon's mom. The band, Devon, and everyone else working on the tour had just arrived in Salt Lake City that day and were preparing for tomorrow when the first of the two shows in Salt Lake City would begin.

"So my mom said she thought it was about time that we got together." Devon confided.

"Funny - my mom and my grandma said the same thing when I called them today." Ritchie smiled. "They want us both in Key West as soon as possible."

"Don't worry - I've got family time in Florida built into the tour schedule." Devon explained. "So - do you realize what date today is?"

"Uh, Wednesday?" Ritchie asked.

"Not just Wednesday," Devon answered, "It's --"

"Our four-month anniversary," Ritchie finished. "You thought I forgot - didn't you?"

"Of course not!" Devon replied. Ritchie gave her a skeptical look and she admitted, "Okay, okay. I thought you might, possibly have forgotten."

"Not only did I not forget - I have a present." Ritchie stopped and pulled a little pouch from his pocket. "Open your hand."

Devon cupped her hand open and Ritchie dropped a necklace from the pouch into her hand. It was a pendant - a peacock made of gold, sapphires and emeralds.

"Ritchie - it's gorgeous! Where did you get this?" Devon gasped.

Ritchie took the necklace from Devon's hand, put it around Devon's neck and fastened the clasp. "I had it made. Do you like it?"

Devon put a hand to the pendant and looked at it. "I love it! I love you. So much."

"Good. I love you too." Ritchie leaned down and kissed her. "Happy Anniversary, Devon Thompson."

"Happy Anniversary, Ritchie Tressiak." Devon smiled back.

_**Flashforward to the concert**_

"I think we've kept them waiting long enough." Ritchie said as the applause, shouts and whistles grew to a deafening level. Ritchie then walked back on stage.

Devon looked quizzically at the rest of the band, "What are you guys doing? Go out there!"

"Just watch." Scooter said as he pushed Devon forward so she could see exactly what Ritchie was doing.

A lone spotlight illuminated Ritchie seated on a high stool holding his acoustic guitar. "How are you guys?" he asked the crowd. The crowd roared back its answer.

"So being here is really special for me and I'll tell you why. Not too long ago, I had terrible stage fright. Really awful. But then, in a town not too far from here, I met this girl and she changed my life. And she made me believe. And she still does. Every day. So this song is for Devon, for always."

Ritchie then proceeded to sing "Kidnap My Heart" -- the way he sang it to her all those years ago. The way he sung it to her a few months ago when he had "kidnapped" her. Devon watched Ritchie and even though there were hundreds and hundreds of people in the arena, it felt like they were the only two people in the world. Her heart felt full.

When Ritchie was done, there was silence for a few seconds and then thunderous applause. Scooter, Mason, KK, and Nikolai then walked onstage to join Ritchie. The band then played three more songs to complete the encore.

Once the final song had been played, the band walked off stage with Ritchie the last one off the stage. He stopped in front of Devon. "So - 10 out of 10?"

Devon laughed. "Are you kidding? A million out of 10! Only problem is we have a lot of cities left and I have no idea how you're going to top that."

Ritchie enveloped Devon in his arms and murmured before his mouth came down on hers, "Don't you worry. I'm an artist. I'll get creative."


End file.
